Packing means for well casings



Aug. 314, 1923. 31 464.585 C. A. RASMUSSEN PACKING MEANS FOR WELL CASINGS Filed May 6, 1922 M van o). Ces'er fl Fawn maven Jorzrey Patented Aug. 14!, 1923.

onnsrnn A. RASMUSSEN, or LONG BEACH, oamroaum.

raoxme Means m WELL oasmes.

Application filed May 6, 1922. Serial No. 559,087.

T all whom it may concern: Be it known that L'CHESTER A. RAS- MUssEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the' city of Long Beach, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented certain Improvements in Packing Means for \Vell Casings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to further improvements in packing heads for well casing similar to that shown and described in my pending application, Serial No. 541,750. The principalobject of the present application is to set forth and protect certain structural 5 features which overcome certain objections found in the other forms of packing heads. It has been found that after a long line of inner casing has been put in place within an outer casing, with an annular space between said outer and inner casings, said inner casing can be pulled up a considerable distance, depending upon the length of the casing, and will then settle back. due to a stretching, or take-up of slack? in said inner casing, and inasmuch as there is no side friction thereon, as there is on the outer casing which fills the bore into the earth, it has been found to be to advantage to pull said inner casing upwardly a short distance, and; then apply an interlocking and sealing device between the outer and inner casings, which will be held in place and perform its function of more securely sealing the space between the inner and outer casings, because of the weight of said inner casing.

In order to more fully explain my invention, I have illustrated it in the accompanying sheet of drawings, which I will now describe.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the upper ends of inner and outer casings, with my improved packing head in place;

Figure 2 is a top plan'view, partly in horizontal section, as taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, of my invention applied to three casings, one within the other; and

Figure 4 is a view thereof on line 4-4, of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detailto the drawings and especially Figs. 1 and 2, the outer and inner well casings are designated 10 and 11,

This is its lower end internallythreaded to screw onto the upper end of the inner casing, as at 14, and having its upper end internally threaded, as at 14", said inner sleeve or collar being also provided around its outside, near the upper end thereof, with an annular, quare groove, 14. A ring member, 15, having an annular shoulder, 15 around its inner face, is provided to fit into the bushing 13, between the inner sleeve or coupling 14 and saidbushing 13 as shown, with its annular shoulder 15*, in register with the annular groove, 14, as shown. A two piece ring, 16, is adapted to fill the space formed by said groove 14 and said inner annular shoulder space 15 in the ring member 15. One or more packing rings, as 17, 17, are placed in the bushing 13, above the shoulder, 13*, and'upon which the ring 15 rests. A flange ring 18, with radial slots, 18, is pro-v vided to fit over the inner coupling 14 and upon the upper edge of the ring 15, and the two piece rin 16, as shown, said flange ring being secure to the flange 13, by means of the bolts, 19, as clearly shown. The special bushing 13 is provided in its inner side with a vent groove, 13 with threaded outlet 13 through the wall of said bushing, as shown in Fig. 1, and into which a plug can be screwed when desired.

The device is assembled as follows: After the casings have been put in place in the well and it is desired to cap them, the inner casing 11 is pulled up until the groove 14 in the inner sleeve or coupling 14, is above the ring 15, assuming that the special bushing 13 and the packing rings 17, 17, and the ring 15, have been put in place as shown. The two piece interlocking ring 16 is put in place in the groove 14, and the inner casing let back down into the position shown. This causes the ring 15 to be moved downwardly into the space between the bushing 13 and the inner sleeve 14, compressing the packingrings 17, and sealing the space be- "tween said elements. The flange ring 18 can then be put in place over the inner sleeve or coupling 14, and additionally secured by the bolts, 19, to the flange 13 of the bushing 13. Thus a very secure packing means is provided.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown substantially the same means in use where three casings are used one within the other. The outer casing 20, has its coupling 21. The inner casing 22, has a special sleeve, or coupling 23, and the innermost casing, 24, has its coupling, 25, which is similar to the coupling 14, in the form shown in Fig. 1. A bushing 26 is screwed into the coupling 21, and is provided with a flange, 26, and with a vent groove, 26*, with threaded outlet, 26. Said bushing 26 is larger inside in the upper portion thereof, .t'orming the shoulder, 26, to receive packing rings, 27, hereshown to be a three piece ring. The special coupling 23, on the casing 22, is provided around its outside, intermediate its ends, with a square groove, 23*, in which is placed a two piece ring, 28, said two piece ring 28 also resting on the inner shoulder of a sleeve or member 29. A flange ring 30,

is placed over the sleeve member 23, whereby to rest upon the upper edge of the sleeve or member 29, said flange ring being connected to the flange 26 by means of the bolts 31. The upper end of the special sleeve ormember 23, is made larger inside to receive packing rings, 32, and an internally shouldered ring 33, between which and the couplin 25, is placed another two piece interloc ing ring, 34, similar to the rings 28, and 16, the latter being shown in Fig. 1. A third flange ring, 35, is placed over the coupling 25, as shown, to rest upon the upper edges of the ring 34 and the ring 33, as shown, and is secured to the flange ring 30, by means of the bolts, 36. The flange members 26*, and 30, are recessed on their under sides to receive the nuts, as shown at 31 and 36, whereby said nuts are held from turning when the bolts are turned thereinto. Thus three casings are interlocked together at their upper ends and the spaces therebetween are tightly sealed. 7

The principle of the invention, as shown in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 3, is the same, but is carried out further in order to care for packing and sealing t-hree' casings. I am aware that changes in details can be made in the forms shown without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not,

therefore, limit the invention to these details, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

claim:

1. Packing means for well casings comprising in combination with outer and inner casings, a bushing adapted to have screw connection with the outer casing, a couplin screwed to the inner casing within sai bushing, said bushing being provided withan annular space therein between the bushing and said coupling for a part of the dis-, tance, packing means in said annular space, a ring above said packing means, a two piece ring within said ring and interfitting into a groove in the outside of the coupling on the inner casing, and a flange member over the same for holding said parts in place, substantially as shown and described.

2. Packing means for well, casings comprising in combination with outer and inner casings, a bushing having a flange and having screw connections at its lowerend with the upper end of said outer casing. a coupling fitting within said bushing and having screw connection to the upper end of the inner casing-packing means between the coupling and the inslde of said bushing, said bushing havinga shoulder under said, packing means, and interlocking means between said bushing and said coupling, above said packing, whereby weight of said inner casing and its coupling rest upon said packing means, substantially as described.

3. In combination with outer and inner well casings, of means for interlocking and sealing the space between said casings, comprising outer and inner elements adapted to be screwed, respectively, to the upper ends of said outer and inner casings, packing means between said elements, and a two piece ring adapted to interfit between said elements and to be inset into said elements to interlock said elements whereby the inner casing is supported thereby with weight upon said packing means.

4. In combination with outer and inner well casings, of means for interlocking and sealing the space between said casings, comprising outer and inner elements adapted to be-screwed, respectively, to the upper ends of said outer and inner casings, said elements fitting one within the other for a part of their lengths and having an annular space formed therebetween above said closer fitting portion, packing means in said annular space, a ring above said packing and resting thereon, and a two piece ring between said ring and the element on the inner casing, said two piece ring fitting into the side of said element whereby to carry the weight of said element and its inner casing.

5. Means for interlocking and sealing the space between-outer and inner casings, comprising in combination with outer and inner well casings, fit one within the other and havingscrew connection, respectively, ends of said outer andinner casings, packing means arranged between said elements, and means betweensa'id'f elements, above said packing means, interlockingsaid ele ments to ther in such manner that the weight 0 the inner casing and its element two elements adaptedflto operates on said packing means to expand the same against the adjacent sides of said elements, substantially as described.

6. Means for connecting the upper ends of outer and inner well casings, comprising outer and inner members fitting one within the other with their lower ends adapted to screw to said casings, respectively, one of said elements having an annular shoulder forming an annular space between portions of said elements, packing means in said space, above said shoulder, and a two piece ring interlocking said elements together whereby the weight of one is on the other.

7. Means for connecting the upper ends of outer and inner well casings, comprising in combination, an outer bushing member having a flange on its upper end and its lower end adapted to be screwed to the outer casing, an inner member fitting within said outer bushing adapted to be screwed to the inner casing, the outer bushing being of a larger inner diameter for a part of its length, packing means fitted between said outer bushing and said inner member, within the larger portion of said outer bushing, a ring fitting over said packing means between said inner member and said outer bushing, and a flange ring adapted to be placed over the upper end of the inner member to rest upon and having its lower end' the ring over the packing means, and means securing said flange ring to the flange of the outer bushing.

8. In combination with outer and inner well casings, means for interlocking and sealing the same, comprising an outer bushing member having a flange around its upper end and its lower end adapted to have screw connection to the upper end of the outer casing, said bushing having a portion of its interior enlarged to form a shoulder and space, an inner sleeve having its lower end adapted to be screwed to the upper end of the inner casing and threaded at its upper end, packing means between said inner sleeve and said outer bushing, in the enlarged portion the latter, a ring element above said packing, a two piece ring interfitted into the adjacent faces of said inner sleeve and said ring whereby to interlock them, and'a flange ring over the two piece ring and the ring element, with securing means for securing it to the flange of said outer bushing substantially as daecribed.

Signed at as Angeles, California, this 17th day of April, 1922.

CHESTER A. RAsMUssEN. Witnesses:

W. R. LrrzENBURo. MAI FIELD DOUGLAS. 

